32. The Ghost Camel Bell

The ghost ship seemed to have reached a certain border; the air grew increasingly frigid, and visibility dropped to a mere five meters.

Inside the medical shed, a figure emerged, walking softly and glancing back from time to time. After a short while, Fan Yijun stepped into the forest of steles. She seemed familiar with this place, navigating with practiced ease until she stopped before a nameless monument.

"Huang Dongshan is dead, and the item you gave him is gone. Lin Fan is still wary of me. What should be the next step?" Fan Yijun spoke as if addressing the nameless stone, or perhaps muttering to herself.

"The Dragon Pattern Ring is lost? Huang Dongshan really was a waste. I had expected him to master the Nine-Layered Netherworld."

Suddenly, a spectral humanoid figure appeared—the Purple-Spirited Maiden. She emerged from the nameless stele as if she resided within it.

"None of us expected Lin Fan to be capable of killing them. His cultivation level must be at the First Spring stage!"

Seeing the Purple-Spirited Maiden, Fan Yijun showed no fear; it was as if they had reached a consensus.

"Poison their food to kill them, then take that sword. If Lingyu resurrects before I do, it will be troublesome!" the Purple-Spirited Maiden said with a sinister tone. The First Spring stage? That was nothing. It was merely the first step of cultivation.

The Lingyu mentioned by the maiden was the woman in the wedding dress.

Hearing this, Fan Yijun’s expression wavered, as if she were hesitating.

"What? You don't understand? 'Entering the tribulation through the mortal'—this was the advice given to me and the woman in the wedding dress by the master of the Nine-Layered Netherworld." The maiden noticed her hesitation, her face growing cold and stern.

"Entering the tribulation through the mortal"—even she could only guess at the true meaning.

"Venerable one, who exactly is the master of the Nine-Layered Netherworld? What is this place? And why does my teacher know about the Lingzhou Living Realm?" Fan Yijun asked a barrage of questions at once. She had too many uncertainties, a fog of confusion in her heart, and she had to use this opportunity to get answers.

"These are not questions you should be asking." The Purple-Spirited Maiden watched her coldly. She added, "Your teacher is that child who studies Buddhist relics? He entered the Netherworld in his dreams and accidentally overheard the words 'Lingzhou Living Realm'."

A child? Was she referring to Elder Yang?

In the distance, a figure froze upon hearing this. It was Lin Fan. He had followed Fan Yijun from the medical shed, having long suspected something was off about her. He had tested her before, but she had not attacked him. He had no reason to strike first, but today she had finally slipped up.

The thought of an eighty-year-old man being called a "child" felt absurd. Yet, it made sense; these cultivators lived for hundreds or thousands of years. To the Purple-Spirited Maiden, Elder Yang, at eighty, was indeed just a child.

How long had the Purple-Spirited Maiden herself lived? And when had Fan Yijun first made contact with her?

"How much longer are you going to hide?"

Suddenly, a voice rang out beside his ear—a voice so chilling it sounded like it came from hell, raspy like two pieces of rusted iron grating together, enough to strike terror into anyone's heart.

"Discovered?"

Lin Fan was startled. He did not act rashly; what if this was just a trap set by the maiden? But he had overthought it. Suddenly, the face of the Purple-Spirited Maiden came into view. Only then did Lin Fan see her clearly: heavy eye makeup, pale, bloodless skin, and delicate features. If she were dressed differently, she would certainly be eye-catching. However, Lin Fan had no time for appreciation; he retreated quickly to put distance between them.

*Swish!*

The Pure Yang Sword left its sheath. A scorching, flame-like aura radiated from it, and heat waves rolled forward like a fire dragon flicking its tail.

"Lin Fan?"

The Purple-Spirited Maiden glanced at the sword and flicked her jade-like hand. It was as if she were fanning away a breeze, dissipating the heat of the Pure Yang sword as easily as a block of ice melting in a furnace. This simple gesture, capable of dissolving such power, was truly bizarre.

Realizing it was Lin Fan, Fan Yijun’s expression changed drastically. She had been exposed! Despite hiding her movements and waiting for everyone to be asleep before entering the stele forest, she had still been tracked by Lin Fan. Did he never trust her from the very beginning?

*Boom!*

The Purple-Spirited Maiden’s fingers curled into claws, striking at Lin Fan’s chest with a force that seemed to command heaven and earth. The terrifying impact sent Lin Fan flying, crushing ancient trees and gravestones in his wake.

*Swish!*

The maiden followed up instantly. Her movements were lightning-fast; a single light step covered ten yards, as if she were shrinking the earth beneath her feet. She appeared before Lin Fan and brought her jade palm down from above.

"Oh no!"

Lin Fan was alarmed. He poured his vital energy into the sword without reservation. The Pure Yang Sword hummed in his hand, like a violent dragon about to break its chains. Lin Fan swung it in a swift arc, the terrifying force concentrated into a single line of crescent-shaped sword light.

*Clang!*

The strike hit the maiden’s hand, severing it. There was no blood; it was like cutting through a ghost. The Purple-Spirited Maiden’s face darkened; she had not expected Lin Fan to be able to injure her.

Seeing this, Lin Fan swung again. He did not know what the maiden was, but he knew they were enemies. If he hadn't followed her today, they might all have been poisoned by Fan Yijun.

*Swish!*

The Purple-Spirited Maiden retreated, dodging the strike. As she raised her injured hand again, a new palm had already regrown. A terrifying, ghostly wind surged from her palm. At first, it was just a wisp, but in the blink of an eye, it grew into a gale, howling like thousands of vengeful spirits laughing in madness.

Suddenly, the ghostly wind surged from her palm and engulfed Lin Fan. He felt as if he were trapped in a meat grinder—the sky turned dark, the sun and moon obscured. The ghostly wind spawned spirits that tore at him, attacking not just his physical body but his very soul. A wave of dizziness washed over him.

"Damn it, her strength is far greater than when we first met!"

Lin Fan was shocked. The woman in the wedding dress had grown flesh and blood, and the Purple-Spirited Maiden was also growing stronger. When he first encountered the maiden, they were evenly matched, and he had managed to force her back. Now, her power had increased significantly, and she could even use unknown techniques. He dared not imagine what she would become in a few more days.

*Ting-a-ling!*

Suddenly, Lin Fan pulled out the Ghost Camel Bell and shook it gently. The sound was faint and melodious. *Swish, swish, swish!* Simultaneously, Yu Nanfei rode out on a ghost camel. He swept his long spear horizontally, and the ghostly wind abruptly ceased.

"Yu Nanfei!!"

The Purple-Spirited Maiden had not expected Lin Fan to produce the Ghost Camel Bell and successfully summon Yu Nanfei. Lin Fan had been desperate; if Yu Nanfei hadn't appeared, he would have had to perform a blood sacrifice on the Pure Yang Sword. He knew Yu Nanfei’s strength; the man had fought the woman in the wedding dress to a standstill on the sixth level.

"Jiang Yuelan? You didn't die either?"

Yu Nanfei stared at her, his tone filled with surprise. The woman in the wedding dress had survived by absorbing Lin Fan’s blood, but why had Jiang Yuelan?

"What kind of thing are you, daring to call my name?" the Purple-Spirited Maiden sneered.

"Heh, both you and Yuan Lingyu rely on my master for resurrection. As a mere spectral entity, do you expect me to bow to you?" As he spoke, Yu Nanfei thrust his spear. The tip pierced the very air with a sharp whistle, demonstrating a force of at least ten thousand pounds.

*Boom!*

The Purple-Spirited Maiden reached out to block, but was sent reeling several yards back. Suddenly, she dissolved into green smoke and dove into Fan Yijun’s body, seizing control of her to flee deeper into the forest of steles.